


Threshold

by ObsidianRomance



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baby Snuggles, Bottom Sam, M/M, Mpreg, Mpreg Sam, Season/Series 08, Top Dean, Water birth, graphic birth, labor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-13
Updated: 2014-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-15 13:35:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1306747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsidianRomance/pseuds/ObsidianRomance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After hell, labor is a walk in the park for Sam. The hard part comes when he has to push and Dean needs to couch him through it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Threshold

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer** : I do not own these characters. I am just using them for fun.  
>  **Beta** : My wifey [Demondetox](http://archiveofourown.org/users/demondetox/pseuds/demondetox). Thank you for your editing skills, love, and making me feel like I put smiles on people's faces.  
>  **Gift** : This is for and is inspired by a prompt from [Klutzy_girl](http://http://klutzy_girl.livejournal.com/profile). I hope you like it dear. XOXO  
>  **Author’s Note** : I needed to take a little break from writing highly emotional and serious stuff. I hope y'all don't mind.  
> 

Life is a little weird after Sam comes back from doing hard time in the cage. After the whole “no soul” debacle, it takes a long time to figure Sam out again.

So life really isn’t that weird, it’s just different.

Dean gets it. He’s been there. If there is anyone on earth who knows what it’s like, it’s him. True, he didn’t have his soul used as a piñata for Lucifer and all, but he gets it for the most part.

Pain takes on a whole other meaning after being in hell. It’s beneficial actually. He and Sam get banged up a lot. It helps that they can finish a case while ignoring the pain.

A broken _anything_ or cut so deep it needs stitching doesn’t slow them down.

Fortunately, pleasure takes on a whole other meaning too. It’s like their bodies are starved for it now in some desperate way to counteract that pain. They get more out of sex together now than they ever have before.

There is a sneaking suspicion that part of that is because Sam came back from hell not quite human at first.

He’s human now but there are added bits, way down deep and inside him so no one will know.

Dean knows. Cas knows too. Probably even Kevin.

They’re hoping no one who plays for the opposing team knows but, in reality, that’s only a matter of time.

This pleasure/pain development is what got them into the situation they’re in.

Sam’s pregnant.

It’s weird and shouldn’t be possible but it’s happening.

And considering the shit they’ve seen and lived through, Sam and Dean are way less fazed by it than they ought to be. They kind of just go with it, Sam more than Dean.

Dean scratches his head over the new development in their lives. He reads _everything_ on the matter, which isn’t more than a few vague case summaries that he finds in the Men of Letters bunker. It’s happened before and those _secret, hidden, deep down parts_ Sam’s got actually turn out to be functional on a whole new level.

Turns out, Sam’s pregnant and he’s totally capable of delivering the baby without any horror movie scenes involving ripping his belly open and bleeding all over the floor.

Dean would like to avoid the whole bleeding all over the floor bit. Not only did he just clean it but he’s dealt with situations that involve Sam covered in blood way too often.

And Sam is this weirdly awesome pregnant person.

He doesn’t complain and he’s downright loving life.

He got sick a lot in the beginning but handled it like a pro, like it was just another thing to add to his to do list, a list that Dean was desperately trying to make shorter and safer. The more hours in the day that he could keep Sam in the bunker, the more time Dean had to spend _not_ worrying about Sam.

In the end, Sam is the one who makes the most impressive list of why they should try to hide his pregnancy. He takes to his self-imposed house arrest without a complaint, choosing instead to nest like a mad man.

So Dean ends up willingly hovering around the bunker with a pregnant man who he loves more than he has any right to.

It’s almost normal accept for the glaringly obvious abnormalities plaguing the situation.

Ignorance is the best medicine and a skill he honed for years. He lets himself play house but they both know it can’t be so simple for long.

*****************

Sam figures out very early on what is going on.

He has no idea if it is a parting gift from hell but he’s been in tune with his and Dean’s child more than he suspects is normal for an expectant parent. There are things he _knows_ , like the fact that he’s having a girl and the fact that she doesn’t really want to come out any time soon.

It’s a little worrisome because the plan is to deliver her at home – he doesn’t remember when the bunker earned itself the term “home”. If she wants to stay inside till she is the size of a toddler then that option isn’t going to work. Dean’s good at many things but he’s pretty sure emergency caesarian sections are not on that list.

Sam’s also been anxious over the fact that he’s really _big._ Not wide, just _big_. Like, his belly juts out pretty far and it’s rounded perfectly to protect their baby. The protection part makes Sam’s brain hum happily. It reminds him that he wants this baby but also that he hadn’t realized he wanted her until the moment she was growing inside him.

He should have been freaked out.

By all means, _this_ isn’t normal.

But after hell, there are a lot of things that aren’t a quarter as scary.

There isn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that she’s Dean’s and that thought is comforting. He’s got a little piece of his brother, like Dean’s trusting him with something important. How could he get freaked out by doing what he does best?

Trying to protect Dean, or at least a part of him.

So he figures it out early on that he’s actually in labor. Thank god. It’s eleven days after he calculated she should have arrived but it’s finally happening.

He’d been expecting something. Anything. Pain or fear. Nothing comes.

He knows he’s in labor, his body gets that across, but the contractions register on a logical level, not a pain thresh hold.

Sighing, he knows that’s because hell screwed up his body’s ability to register pain.

Dean’s sleeping still and he doesn’t disturb his brother. There isn’t any urgency and it’s not like Dean can do anything at the moment. Besides, the pain is nonexistent. If he hadn’t put his hands on his belly to feel it harden during a contraction, he’d barely register the fact that he’s in labor.

Breakfast is pretty uneventful. He keeps contracting and Dean is none the wiser.

Lunch is the same way.

By dinner, he can’t keep up the lie. His water breaks suddenly and dramatically, right as he’s bringing his empty dishes to the sink. Dean’s staring at him and notices the huge wet spot darkening his sweats. Of course Sam has to go and leak gallons of amniotic fluid before he even told Dean he was in labor.

“What the hell, Sam!?” Dean’s eyes go wide and he curls up his lip.

“I…uh…I might be in labor.”

“You _might_ be in labor? You water just broke, I’d say for sure you’re in labor.”

Sam sighs. It’s always like this. He never means to get caught hiding something from Dean but somehow he always does and then his brother gives him a puppy dog look. “Yeah…I….um…started this morning. Before you woke up. I was having contractions but they were far apart. Now though, I think they’re about five minutes apart.”

The anticipated “you lied to me” puppy dog look shows up and Sam just stands there rubbing his belly, feeling it tighten up and realizing that while he’s uncomfortable, he’s not in pain. He just feels unwieldy, like there is mounting pressure building up but it doesn’t hurt….yet.

“Since this morning? Seriously?” Dean shakes his head and throws up his hands. “ _Seriously_?” When Sam’s only answer is an innocent shrug, Dean rolls his eyes. “You’re an asshole, Sam.”

“Really, Dean? Is this what we’re doing? I’m having our baby and you’re going to call me an asshole?”

“No! You’re not an _asshole_ asshole but you’re an asshole for not telling me. I mean…I need to…”

Scratching his head, Sam scrunches up his features. “Dean, that makes no sense.”

“Yeah, well, _I know what I mean_.” Huffing, Dean looks Sam right in the eyes. “You’re really in labor? Shouldn’t you be huffing and puffing and…I dunno…cursing at me?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

_“It doesn’t hurt?”_ Dean repeats dumbly.

“Nah. It doesn’t hurt. It’s uncomfortable and I feel like he head is right between my legs, but it doesn’t hurt.” Sam grabs Dean’s hand and pushes it to his hardening belly. “See. Contraction.”

“And it doesn’t hurt?”

“No.”

“Isn’t it _supposed_ to hurt?” Anger at Sam hiding the situation from him slips away and Dean steps closer to his brother so he can put two hands on his belly. He slides them lovingly under Sam’s shirt and feels the way the muscles are working to bring their baby one step closer to arriving.

“Well, yeah…but…it doesn’t.” Sam sighs and falls forward so that his forehead comes to rest on the crook of Dean’s neck. “Shit. It’s supposed to hurt. I…what if this is all wrong? What if hell fucked me up? Well…hell _did_ fuck me – us – up but…I mean… _it’s supposed to hurt_!”

“Shh, hey…it’s okay. It’s like…well, it’s like everything else then, right? You know…us and pain and how it takes a hell of a lot for us to feel it? Why would this be any different?” Dean speaks so that his lips nibble at Sam’s temple and he presses a kiss there when he’s done.

“How I am gonna know when she’s really gonna come? Like…is she just going to _fall_ out?” Sam knows that sounds insane but given the scope of things, he actually finds enough reason to worry about it.

“Doubt it, Sam. You read the same reports I did. There is a whole lot of pushing involved.”

Sighing, Sam refuses to leave the safety of Dean’s arms. “Great.”

“Come on. Why don’t we go lay down for a while. Give my brain a chance to catch up with _what you’ve known for hours_.” There is a bit of guilt trip in Dean’s words but he doesn’t push it. Instead, he kisses Sam’s forehead and ushers him towards the room they’ve started sharing way before their daughter was even on the map.

“Yeah, okay.” Sam lets Dean ‘help’ him, even though he’s perfectly capable. He even lets Dean take off his wet sweats and gently lower him onto the bed. “You wanna…wanna check… _down there_?”

“Not really,” Dean quips.

Sam smacks him upside the head and snorts.

“Kidding. Kidding.” Putting both hands up in surrender, Dean bends each of Sam’s knees and puts his feet flat on the mattress. “Never thought I’d ever have to worry about this.” He spreads Sam’s legs and uses one hand to gently move his brother’s dick and balls to the side. “Shit, Sammy, you sure you’re not in pain?”

Propping up on his elbows, the nervousness in Dean’s voice makes Sam jumpy. He’s done research and he knows on paper what is supposed to happen but going through it is completely unsettling. “Yeah, why?”

“‘Cause you’re definitely dialed, or whatever the fuck term they use. Dilated. Yeah, that.” Dean lets out a shaky breath and sits back on his heels. “Not totally, but definitely getting there.”

“Oh…I should feel something, right?”

They both know the answer to that question.

Sam winces. It’s like his brain didn’t register the pain before Dean said anything but now that he knows for a fact what is going on between his legs, he shivers. “This sucks.”

It’s the first time Sam has openly complained during the whole 41 and a half weeks. It jolts Dean upright and he chews on his lip.

Sighing, Sam arches his back and kneads at the pain building up in his lower spine. “ _This_. The not knowing what is going on. The not knowing if this is normal. It all _sucks_.”

“ _It’s_ not normal but it kinda is. I guess. For us at least.” Dean climbs onto the bed and replaces Sam’s hands with his own, working at making a dent in the tension there.

“Do you think you can keep doing _that_?” Sam says with a nod towards Dean’s hands. “Because, _that_ feels good.”

“Yeah. I can do that.” There is a kiss dropped to Sam’s shoulder and then they slide down the bed, Sam laying on his left side and Dean spooned up behind him, fitting their bodies together but leaving enough space to keep working over Sam’s spine. It’s quiet between them but Sam’s breathe hitches and Dean’s hands immediately go to Sam’s middle.

They both feel the contraction but this time Sam groans because of it. Together, Dean’s hands stoke up from the underside of Sam’s belly and then part so they can coast down each side of the swell, coming together again to repeat the action.

It feels nice. The pressure is stronger but Sam’s been worrying about everything since the moment he woke up. Dean’s hands manage to calm their daughter and she gives a weak kick against his palm before settling into the belly love from her father.

*************

Dean’s glad Sam fell asleep for two reasons. He’s sure Sam needs rest; his brother looks like he’s exhausted, worried rings under his eyes much darker than usual. He’s also glad Sam is passed out enough for Dean’s small panic attack to go unnoticed.

It’s mostly in Dean’s brain. He doesn’t get off the bed and his hands never stop the calming strokes over Sam’s belly but he knows his body is tense. Sam would absolutely notice that fact had he been awake. He’s never been good at waiting and laying around while waiting for _things_ to happen makes him edgy.

Kissing the nape of Sam’s neck, Dean whispers, “you gotta be okay,” although he’s not exactly sure who he’s addressing. Probably both Sam and their kid. “Can you do that for me?”

Sam’s been unquestionably amazing. After everything they’ve been through, he’s found some way to actually let himself be happy at something and Dean doesn’t have any qualms with the fact that their daughter is the cause of all that. It makes Dean let out a soft snort of laughter when he thinks about how many times he and his brother butted heads over their paths in life and what they should and shouldn’t let themselves feel or do. Of course it is a teeny, tiny little girl that has the power to do anything. Normally Dean’s ego would be bruised but he is kind of oddly proud of his daughter – and his brother.

“You’re _going to_ be okay,” Dean states more confidently. There isn’t another option. Either way, Dean will make it right. He’s proven that before. Did the whole ‘gone to hell and back’ thing. He’ll go against every hunter rule his father ever taught him, make deals he knows he should never make, but he’ll make it right for Sam and their kid.

_God_ , _he hopefully Sam can handle everything well enough so that deals with demons aren’t necessary_. Dean huffs and pulls Sam against his chest. Sam not being in pain is troubling but he hopes that means the actual birth will be just as easy. Sam at least deserves that.

He’s half a second away from sleep when Sam makes a noise like every ounce of air is punched from his lungs. If Dean’s arms weren’t around him, he probably would have tried to jolt forward but he’s grounded by his older brother.

“Sammy?”

“It’s okay. I’m okay. Just…oh man, kinda aches all over.” Sam worms out of Dean’s arms and sits on the bed with his legs splayed and his palms face down to help support his weight. Letting out a slow breath, he closes his eyes and repeats the action. “I gotta pee.”

“Need help?” Dean swallows and scrambles to get off the bed so that he won’t be in Sam’s way.

Sam throws him a bitch face and grumbles as he gets off the bed. He makes that worrisome loss of air gasp again followed by the slow breathing before he gets to the bathroom. Dean’s actually glad he leaves the door open. There isn’t much mystery between them anymore and they’ve left the door open countless times but Dean knows Sam left it open for another reasons. Dean’s an over protective, worried brother, of course Sam knows that.

Dean checks the clock and figures that Sam’s been laboring for 13 hours or so. There is something gnawing at him and he shoves it back to the corner of his mind. It’s silly, he knows that, but he always gets hung up on old “big brother” roles and feels stupid that he’s the one having the panic attack while Sam’s thinking logically. It’s not really that out of the ordinary, considering Sam thinks things through a lot more thoroughly than Dean does, but that doesn’t mean Dean _doesn’t_ think them through. He understands what’s on Sam’s plate right now and he’s damn proud of his little brother for handling things – the whole nine months of things – as well as he is.

There is a pained growl from the bathroom and Dean sprints towards it.

Sam’s sitting on the toilet, legs spread so that he can rest an elbow on each knee, wearing a face of pure discomfort. He rolls his eyes up enough to see Dean’s concern but words die on his tongue as he grits his teeth and vocalizes his way through what is surely a contraction. “Don’t gotta use the toilet but the…the pressure? Fuck, it’s just…” Sam groans again and squeezes his eyes shut.

“Hey, I got’cha.” Falling to his knees more ungracefully than intended, Dean’s hands are tilting Sam’s head up to see into his eyes. After all these years, Sam is a good liar but Dean knows his tells, the way his eyes flick away for a split second. His heart is overcome with warmth when he thinks that Sam’s trying to stifle his discomfort for Dean’s benefit. It is stupidly selfless and Dean wants to tell Sam that he’s the big brother, he can handle it but instead he drops a kiss to Sam’s forehead. “It’s okay. You’re doing real good. Guess it’s about time things started getting a lot less pretty.”

“Wanna check? Don’t say no because I’ll fucking kick you. Between the legs.” Sam snorts. “So you get what I’m dealing with.” His hands go to his middle and start tracing out something, like he knows exactly where their daughter is situated.

Dean growls at the threat but it’s all for show and they both know it. “You kick me there, and you’re on your own.” He shifts his weight on his knees and scuffles backwards. “Come on, let me see.” He helps Sam scoot his hips forward and almost off the edge of the toilet so Dean can see what’s going on. “Oh man!” It’s the wrong thing to say and Sam’s second bitch face of the evening lets on that his bother agrees too.

“Dean…”

“You do know I have never done _any of this_ before?” He doesn’t look up to see if that registered with Sam because he’s more focused on the very alien sight of his brother dialing – or dilating – and the weighty realization as to what that means. “You’re…it’s…well…it’s more than before.”

“Oh.” Sam says and then goes back to rubbing his belly.

“You…you wanna…you know, the tub thing? Still wanna have her in the tub?” Dean makes a gesture with his head towards the tub. Dean doesn’t remember what their original plan was anymore but he knows they settled on the tub. Luckily, the showers aren’t the only thing they’ve enjoyed about the bunker. There are tubs large enough for both of them, which means they are plenty big for Sam and their daughter.

“Yeah, tub sounds good.” Sam nods and bites his lip. Before Dean can pull away to fill the tub, he grabs his older brother’s hand and furrows his brows apologetically. “You know I’m not going to kick you.”

“Dunno. You’ve done worse and I wouldn’t really care if you did. Seems fair and all.” Dean ghosts his hand over Sam’s, squeezes once, and manages to get far enough away to get the tub going.

They don’t talk. There’s nothing they have to talk about that they haven’t hashed out a million times.

Sam’s going to give birth to their daughter.

Dean’s going to help. He’s going to clean her up and cut her cord.

They’re naming her Diana.

That’s all they are going to let themselves believe.

After helping Sam into the tub, Dean sits awkwardly on the floor beside it, legs bent underneath him. “You know, this isn’t the first time I did this, sat up all night with you in a tub.”

Face a mix of sadness and realization, Sam lets on that he remembers almost dying during the trials as much as Dean does. “Yeah, well, this actually feels a lot better than ice water. So, I can’t complain.”

It’s nice to know this whole experience is about life, not death. Dean skims a hand through the water and coasts up Sam’s belly. “It’s so… _hard_.”

“Yeah…ngh…hurts too.” Sam’s head lolls back onto the edge of the bathtub and he closes his eyes, letting out a heavy breath.

“I can imagine.”

Without an ounce of heat, Sam’s words are soft. “No, you can’t.”

“Nah, probably not. Wish I could. Wish I could…do something.” As absolutely crazy as Dean would feel being thrown into Sam’s situation, he’d be a hypocrite not to be willing enough to shoulder part of the duty because even though their daughter’s creation is hell’s fault and Dean’s doing, Sam’s the one doing all the hard work. “Never thought I would be having a kid…let alone watching you _have_ it and….delivering it.”

“That makes two of us.” Arching his back, Sam’s belly sticks out from the warm water and he groans. “Don’t you dare write up a report on this. I swear…if I find this as an addition to one of the books the Men of Letters had..I…” he looks earnestly at Dean, “just don’t. Okay?”

“Seriously? You think I want to be publicizing all the freaky twists and turns in our lives? We break pretty much every hunting rule we’ve ever set out to uphold. Yeah, no. Don’t worry.” Dean laughs, smile widening at the look of relief on Sam’s face. “I’m proud of you though. You’re…You’re handling this way better than any of those reports…or those videos. You’re…I mean… _the huffing and puffing_.” Dean makes a chaotic gesture with his hands to get across what he’d been expecting.

None of that happens.

Sam stays pretty calm.

He groans a lot and clutches onto Dean twice but he spends most of his labor breathing and keeping his eyes closed. Dean runs hot water twice to keep the tub warm but Sam doesn’t seem to notice.

Around midnight, Sam gets antsy. He makes his most dramatic action thus far and scrambles backwards, splashing water over the edge of the tub. “Oh!” His eyes are wide and his mouth is almost a perfect O as he lets out a pained moan.

There is more splashing, leaving Dean’s head spinning as he tries to keep up with the sudden flurry of movement from Sam. He catches Sam spreading his legs wider, holding them open by hooking each of his arms behind the knees. After Sam lets out a pained yell, Dean gets what’s going on. Their daughter is coming. For real. Under the rippling of the water, he can see her stretching at Sam’s opening.

****************

Sam’s world explodes in pain. He has no idea how he was managing everything seconds ago when he feels like he wants to scream now. “Dean! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” There is burning and more, a type of pain Sam hasn’t experienced and isn’t in his right mind to explain. Labor had been nothing compared to what’s going on now. He looks over and Dean’s soaked from his sudden splaying but the man couldn’t care less. He’s practically in the tub, helping ground Sam. The connection helps but Sam’s head is still spinning enough to make forming sentences difficult. “Baby…”

“Yeah, looks like the baby’s comin’.” Dean swallows nervously and makes a quick look between Sam’s legs then back up at his face. “Shh, Sam, I gotcha. I’m here.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Sam wants to go back to contractions without this overwhelming urge to push. His body is on board with pushing but he is most definitely not. Pushing, even the tentative bearing down he did before he realized it, sucks. It hurts worse than he imagined. “Oh, god!” The urge to push is back again and he feels like he’s drowning in it. Like it’s suffocating him. For all the focus and calm he had before, he loses it, clawing at Dean. “Oh, god. I gotta push!” He practically pulls Dean into the tub with how desperate he is to cling onto something solid and familiar.

“So push. It’s time. I mean…it looks like it’s time. Her head is there…” Water dripping down his face, Dean blinks to clear his vision and nod reassuringly to Sam.

“I don’t want to.”

“You gotta, Sam. Remember? You gotta. The other times this happened…they said the same thing. But you gotta….if you don’t – ” He leaves the sentence off and nods at Sam again.

Sam knows he _has_ to push. Sam’s body knows he _has_ to push. But knowing and doing are different. He chokes on a few lungfuls of air before hyperventilating.

“Sam!” Dean catches his jaw with one hand and forces him to lock eyes with him. “It’s okay. You gotta push and you gotta breathe. Okay? Come on. Breathe with me.” Unsure of what he’s doing, it takes Dean a few false starts to fall into a steady breathing pattern. He gestures with his hand for Sam to mimic him.

Sam does. It’s instinctual. He and Dean always follow each other’s lead during times as intense as these. He knows his brother loves him, it’s obvious by the concern on his face and the protective stance he’s taken half in the tub and half out. Everything in Sam’s brain wants to do this for Dean but the pain is frightening. For all he hadn’t felt earlier, he’s paying for it now. Despite being terrified, he gets a better grip on the back of his thigh and pushes. “Nngh!”

The baby’s head peek-a-boos forward and Dean’s eyes go wide. “Oh, shit! Again, Sam!”

With another strong push, Sam’s thighs start shaking. He gulps down air and pushes again, trying to focus on getting her out rather than the pain it’s causing. He feels her stretch him wider and he makes a pained animal moan. “Dean!”

“I know. I see. You’re doing fucking awesome, Sammy.”

“It’s…It’s burning!” Squeezing his eyes shut, Sam wiggles in the tub a bit, trying to get a wider pull of his thighs and he pushes through it. His voice quivers on an exhale and he starts babbling pained gibberish. He wants to ask for help but can’t remember how. He cries, loud and long, making it bounce off the tiled walls. He thinks there are tears in his eyes but there is so much water being thrown around that he’s not sure. “She’s coming out! It’s…ohh! Fuck, she’s coming out!” He wants her to stay put because in was easier than getting her out. Pushing again, he’s certain the baby’s crowning.

“You’re getting her there.”

Sam wants to wring Dean’s neck. It’s irrational but he does. He wants to kill a million werewolves and stake a million more vampires. He’d like to bash _something’s_ head in and Dean’s way to close for his own safety. “Help, I…augh!”

Dean’s hands are under the water, they’re hovering near where Sam is working the head out. “You’re doing good. I see her, Sam.” There’s awe in his words and he licks his lips, looking up at Sam with a proud smile.

“ _Please?_ ” Sam’s aware he sounds desperate. “Please help get her out. _Please?”_ It’s stupid because an hour ago he knew Dean couldn’t help more than he is doing, but now he just wants Dean to do _something_. To fix things like he always does. “ _Please?”_ He pushes with a load groan, fingernails digging into the meat of his thighs as he pants.

Dean’s heart breaks. He sucks in his lip like he always does when he can’t figure out how to stop Sam’s pain. “I wish I could Sam. I…” He takes a deep breath and brings both hands to rest on Sam’s middle. “She’s coming, Sam. I wish I could help but you’re doing it all by yourself. You got this. You’re doing awesome.”

“Ugh!” Closing his eyes, Sam pushes, feeling the widest part of her head stretching him. “Get her out!”

“ _You’re_ getting her out, Sam. It’s okay.”

“Fuck you!” Sam growls, gritting his teeth and spitting fire at Dean. “Fuck you! Get her the fuck out of me.” Getting a blind look in his eyes, the urge to bear down rams into him. He wants her out more than he wants most things in life. “I swear I am going to – _oh god_ – kill you. I am going to… _fuck_!” Panic washes over him and he trashes until he presses back against the tub to gear up for a push. “Oh, oh, oh!”

With another push, the head that hadn’t been in the world, suddenly is. Dean’s hands cup around it protectively.

Sam starts shaking uncontrollably and can’t stop it. It is like he has no control over what’s happening. The pain is one thing but he didn’t expect to feel this much fear.

“Sam, listen to me. Sam. It’s okay. _It’s okay_. Her head’s out. _You’re okay_. Come on, look down. I can see her whole face. You’re doing so good.”

Sam starts hyperventilating again, making rapid pained pants in between whimpers. He claws at Dean and tries to curl forward and see what Dean is talking about. With the angle of the tub, he slides upward into more of a squatting posting, legs still held wide. He pushes again and the head he’s been looking for inches forward. It’s mind blowing. “Dean!”

“Look at that face, Sam. Come on. You see her?”

Sam can’t find his voice but he shakes his head. “Get her out.” It isn’t a demand but a weak request. “Please…if I can’t…please…”

“No, you don’t. Don’t you dare, Sam!” Dean curses and looks about as broken as Sam feels. He pulls back from Sam for a brief second to shuck off his jeans and then he’s in the tub, crowding Sam’s space and leaving no room for doubt. “Come on. We’re going to do this together, okay?” He cups the heels of Sam’s feet and pushes them up and open. “Come on. Push. Push real hard.”

Everything is a mess. This isn’t at all like Sam thought things would go and he feels like an idiot for thinking he could plan this. His brain clouds with the need to bear down, so he does. He does it again and again, choking on a breath till he thinks he’s doing something right because Dean’s voice is getting more excited and higher pitched. He’s telling him to “keep going” but Sam has no idea if there is an end in sight.

Then he screams, feels blissfully empty and a new weight is on his chest.

“Oh, Sammy! Look what you did! You did such a good job, Sam,” His voice is cracking, unable to hold the strong emotions emanating from the words.

Sam’s working on autopilot. His hands come up and hold the limp baby against him. There isn’t any pain anymore because he’s too focused on her.

Crowding Sam’s space again, Dean starts rubbing the baby over with a warm wet cloth. He gets it across her face, cleans out everything like he thinks he’s supposed to but they both don’t really _know_ and that’s more than a little terrifying.

Sam can’t do anything more than cling to her.

The minute she cries, so does Sam. He feels like a complete idiot – a stupid happy idiot. He’s so cliché and in love with the newborn on his chest that he doesn’t even care what his body just went through. It feels like his heart is going to burst and that he’s willing to give all of it to Dean and the baby. Laugh-crying, he looks up at Dean and smiles in disbelief.

Nothing comes out of Dean’s mouth but a multitude of emotions emanate from him. He covers his mouth with one hand, laughs, goes to speak, and covers his mouth again. His eyes are wet and he chooses to kiss Sam softly over speaking.

Sam slumps exhaustedly against Dean, finding a way to fit their bodies together so the baby is perfectly cradled between them. She’s safe and sound but Sam’s not the only one to thank for that. “Good job, Dean – dad,” he adds with a happy ring to the word.

“Oh my god, ‘dad’,” Dean repeats like he can’t believe the title. “Holy shit, little one. You made me a dad.” He looks down at the baby, their daughter, their perfect ten toes and ten fingers daughter. She’s crying like a champ. “Shh, you’ve got nothing to cry about. Your other dad’s the one who did all the hard work.” He curls his palm protectively over her wet head and kisses her temple.

“I was…I was so scared that…” A new wave of emotion hits Sam and he swallows to keep from completely losing his composure. “I didn’t know what would happen. What she’d be…”

They both understand that fear. The events leading up to this moment were not normal but the baby seems to be.

“I know, Sam.”

“I know you do.” Sam sighs. “God, I do. I know…and you were so good…and I was so… _irrational_.”

“You made another person. You can be irrational. It’s way better than anything I can ever do.” Dean snickers and proudly puffs up his chest. “You think she’s a Diana?”

“Yeah. She’s….” Sam looks down at the red faced baby. He’s sane enough now to know he’s probably being biased but she’s the prettiest thing he’s seen. She got hardly any hair but she’s soft and delicate. “She’s been a Diana since I knew about her. I just _knew_ it.”

Figuring Dean had gotten used to Sam’s hunches long ago, Sam’s not surprised when his brother goes along with it. Dean smiles and nods.

“You gotta hold onto her, Sam. Just a little bit longer and then you’re off duty and I’ll watch over her for a while. You okay to do that?” Dean gets out of the tub, the clothing he’d left on sticking to him and dripping all over the place.

Sam knows they need to take care of Diana’s umbilical cord and other afterbirth issues. He wishes he could “poof” all of them into the comfort of their bed. Shushing soothing sounds into Diana’s ear and rubbing a comforting hand over her back while cupping her butt, he nods. “Yeah, I got her.”

With a smile, Dean says, “of course you do,” before leaving the room.

And what Sam hopes Diana knows is that Dean’s got her too. Always. Just like Sam’s always got Dean’s back.

It’s a weird interdependent world they live in but it’s their world.

Thank god Diana seems to fit in just fine.


End file.
